A/N: Picks up after the events of "The Fox and the Firebird" but it's not necessary to have read that. Again, David lives.

Chapter 1

It was a solemn and rather uncomfortable gathering in Nikolai's private study in the Grand Palace. Half of the assembled group already knew what this was about, while the other half were in the dark, and Nikolai was not looking forward to revealing the secret he'd been keeping from them all. But after Mal had inadvertently discovered it during their recent mission in Ketterdam, there was no more avoiding it. Or pretending it wasn't, in fact, a serious problem.

So here he was, back in the capital with Mal, Tolya, and Tamar standing off to the sides in a supportive flanking formation. Nadia had come back with them from the Volkvolny as well, though she was unaware of what Nikolai was about to tell Alina, Zoya, Genya, and David.

"Did something happen in Ketterdam?" Alina asked, breaking the silence.

She had been elated to see Mal again, though their reunion had been somewhat stiff. Nikolai knew Mal hadn't intended to return to Os Alta this soon, but the young man had chosen to stand by Nikolai as they addressed this new issue.

"We disrupted the supply chain of Grisha into Shu Han," Mal replied.

Alina looked confused; the somber air certainly didn't match the good news.

Nikolai couldn't put it off any longer, so he straightened and cleared his throat. "I have something to tell you," he began. "In the final battle against Kirigan and his forces, I was wounded by his nichevo'ya. And…it appears that I've been infected by it. By Shadow."

The Grisha all looked rightly horrified.

"Infected how?" David asked, perhaps more curious than afraid.

Nikolai swallowed hard as he prepared to undress in front of an audience, the circumstances of which were not at all sexy or enjoyable. He removed his coat and draped it over the chair, then unbuttoned his shirt. But he merely pushed the one side off his shoulder to expose the wound with its shadowy cracks. He didn't think the group could look even more alarmed.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Alina said, tone a tad sharp with accusation.

"I was afraid," Nikolai answered honestly. "It was foolish and reckless, but I thought if I ignored it, maybe it would just…not get worse. We already know wounds from the nichevo'ya can't be healed. But…I was wrong. It is getting worse."

"Worse how?" Genya asked in concern.

"The injury flares up frequently, and…" He hesitated. "Sometimes I see shadow monsters that aren't there."

The Tailor pursed her mouth but raised her hands. "May I?"

He nodded, and she came closer to examine the wound. She looked nervous, and Nikolai knew she had suffered greatly at the hands of Kirigan and his Shadow Monsters. After several moments, she lowered her hands and stepped back.

"I can't heal it," she confirmed. "And the infection…" Her brows furrowed. "I think it's merzost."

David came over at that to get a look himself, and Nikolai tried not to fidget in discomfort at being treated like a fascinating specimen.

"I think you're right," David said. "The nichevo'ya were created from it, after all."

The confirmation was not unexpected but still felt like the gong of a death knell.

"What do we do about it?" Alina asked.

David and Genya shared blank looks. Of course none of them had an answer, which was what Nikolai had been afraid of and another reason he hadn't said anything about it before now.

"This is a two-fold problem," Mal spoke up. "And since both Nikolai's and Alina's…ailments, are both related to Shadow, the cure might be the same thing."

Alina straightened indignantly. "Excuse me? My 'ailment'?"

"Your summoning is shadow now," he said, quirking a confused brow at her.

"That isn't a problem," she declared, which elicited multiple uncertain looks from everyone.

"Not a problem?" Mal repeated dubiously. "Shadow summoning is evil, Alina!"

She shook her head staunchly. "It's power like anything else; it's the user that makes it evil or not."

"You're the Sun Summoner," Tamar pressed.

"The Sun Summoner was only needed to bring down the Fold and defeat Kirigan," Alina argued. "After that was done, there was no more use for that power. So it evolved. Now I can use it to defend Ravka from its enemies."

"That sounds like Kirigan talking," Mal said in a low voice.

Alina gaped at him. "Kirigan waged a war of Grisha against otkazat'sya; that is not at all the same."

"Kirigan thought he was doing the right thing," Zoya spoke up. "Protecting Grisha. You're just substituting the causes, but it's the same intention, and the start of a dangerous path."

Alina spluttered incredulously at them. "You're turning against me?"

"Of course not," Genya interjected. "We care about you and are worried about what this Shadow power is doing to you. It could change you, Alina."

"Baghra was also a Shadow Summoner and she wasn't evil like Kirigan," Alina countered.

Nikolai pursed his mouth. That was…debatable, but he wasn't going to get involved in this argument. He could see the reason in Alina's points, but it didn't change the fact that nothing good ever came from that kind of power.

"We need to get back to the more important issue," Alina finally snapped, gesturing to Nikolai.

He pulled his shirt back over his shoulder and hastily buttoned it up again.

"I can do more research into merzost," David said. "But it's such an unpredictable element…"

"And this is unprecedented territory," Nikolai finished. "I know. But it's all we have. So in the meantime, we'll just have to go about business as normal."

As normal as a country on the brink of war with its neighbors could be.

"We'll be staying until we solve this," Mal added, indicating the crew of the Volkvolny.

Alina's expression pinched at that. No doubt she expected Mal to keep fighting her about her own problem, and that had the potential to be quite contentious. Nikolai would leave that battle to them. As much as he was worried about Alina, he was far too tired to tackle that one right now.

"Then that concludes this meeting," he said. "Zoya, bring me up to speed on what I missed while in Ketterdam."

David and Genya left, while the twins and Nadia stayed. Mal and Alina were still engaged in a silent battle of wills, until Mal finally broke it and walked out. Alina went after him.

Nikolai sighed wearily and turned his attention to Zoya as she started to fill him in on the interactions his double had while he was away so he would be prepared to reenter the field of politics without missing a step.

Alina hurried after Mal, stopping him in the corridor with a hand on his arm. "Mal! I don't want us to fight. You've been gone for months and I've missed you."

His jaw was tight with obvious frustration, but he softened his expression toward her. "I've missed you too. I'm just worried."

"You don't need to worry about me," she insisted.

Mal looked around the empty hall and then lowered his voice. "I heard you used the Cut. With Shadow."

"To kill an assassin who was trying to murder the entire Ravkan court, including me and Nikolai."

Mal shook his head and muttered, "How did this even happen? I was your amplifier; you brought down the Fold and killed Kirigan—what went wrong?"

"Nothing."

"Then why are your powers Shadow now?" he rejoined.

Alina huffed in vexation. "Because I used merzost to bring you back," she blurted.

His eyes blew wide in shock. "What are you talking about? Nina…"

"She tried, but it wasn't working," Alina barreled on. "You were gone."

Mal visibly reeled back in horror. "No…"

Alina reached out to grab his hands, but he recoiled. Her heart twinged. "I did what I had to."

"You knew better," he hissed. "And now this is the cost."

"I don't regret it," she declared. "Not even with this being the price. Because you being alive is worth it."

Mal looked at her in a way that pierced down to her soul, like she was someone he didn't know, didn't trust. He backed away.

"Mal," she said plaintively.

He held up a hand to stay her. "Just…I need some space."

She watched him go, her heart twisting with anguish. She was hurt and angry that no one seemed to understand this wasn't as catastrophic as they believed. And it crushed her that Mal kept walking away from her. But at least he was here, so she had hope he would come around.

For now, though, she put away her feelings and collected herself as the future queen she was supposed to act like, then went back into the study to resume her role as Commander of the Second Army.

Mal quickly got lost retreating through the palace halls, though he didn't care at the moment and simply kept going as his mind reeled from this revelation. He couldn't believe Alina had used merzost, after they knew how treacherous it was. He had been willing to die; that was supposed to be his fate!

He clenched his fists in a fit of frustration, because it wasn't that he'd wanted to die, nor did he wish he was still dead. He was truly grateful to be alive; he just hated the method by which it had been done. And Alina didn't even care about the consequences! The merzost had poisoned her sun summoning, turned it to shadow. How could she truly not see how terrible this was, given Ravka's long history with the Darkling and his Fold?

Mal finally brought himself to a stop in some unknown wing. He didn't know what to with all that right now, so he stuffed it down where he didn't have to think about it. He had come back to Os Alta to help Alina and Nikolai. Alina didn't want his help, but the new king of Ravka did. So Mal switched gears and waved down the first servant he came across.

"I'm looking for David Kostyk," he said.

The servant nodded. "This way."

Mal was surprised by the ready help instead of a sneering dismissal, and then he remembered he was wearing Sturmhond's coat, which made him look like a wealthy privateer and not the grunt soldier he was used to being treated as.

The servant led him through the halls until they finally reached an ornate set of doors, then left Mal there. Mal knocked, hoping this was the right place.

"Yes?" David's voice called from inside.

Mal opened the door and let himself in. "Hey, it's me."

David and Genya looked up from a work table cluttered with jars and vials, bowls and pestles.

"Oh," David said. "Does the king need something?"

"No, I came to offer my services."

The two Grisha shared a dubious look.

"I'm not Grisha," Mal said, feeling that twinge of self-consciousness he often felt around their kind. "And I don't have any special knowledge, but my bloodline carries merzost, so maybe you can learn more about it from me?"

David looked intrigued. "Indeed. Yes, please sit."

He scooted a stool over, and Mal went to take a seat. David and Genya drew close, both using their powers to probe his body. It didn't feel like anything, but it was still awkward, and Mal now knew what Nikolai probably felt like just a short time ago.

"It is curious," David mused. "You had no idea there was anything different about you, correct?"

"No. I mean, Baghra said my skill at tracking was because I was the Firebird, but that wasn't anything that raised any eyebrows."

"And the Firebird was created when Morozova resurrected his daughter with merzost," David went on.

Mal couldn't help the clenching of his jaw as he was reminded of Alina doing the same with him. He wondered if that meant his power as an amplifier had been restored as well…

"Yes," he managed to get out. "And it was then passed down through the bloodline."

"So it was dormant until you were used as an amplifier." David tucked a hand under his chin in thought. "I wonder if it's possible to manipulate merzost. There is a cost to using it, but if we were simply to attempt…changing what's already there, morph it into something benign, perhaps it wouldn't be as dangerous."

"We have no idea what Morozova's daughter experienced after he used merzost on her," Genya put in. "The outward effects could have diluted over the centuries."

"Mm," David hummed in contemplation. "There is also the nichevo'ya being an unknown factor. While it was also created from merzost, it is something different."

Mal just sat there, unable to contribute much else than his body for study. He almost told them about Alina using merzost on him recently, but it wasn't his secret to tell, even though it was relevant. And if it could somehow help with Nikolai's problem, then they needed to know. Mal would have to talk to Alina about it. But for the moment, he had to swallow his dignity and submit to being a lab rat.